This is how the gym cardio machines help you lose the extra weight of Christmas

The use of the machines available in the cardio zone inside the gyms does not have to be something tedious and boring when our goal is to lose those kilos gained during the Christmas holidays, since they not only serve us to perform long sessions of exercise like if we were a hamster inside the wheel of his cage.

In addition to the different programs that bring some of these machines to perform our corresponding routine, we have multiple alternatives so that our cardio time is not boring and, in this way, avoid that boredom ends up making us abandon our new year’s purpose of lowering of weight.

Treadmill

One of the most classic cardiovascular exercise machines . As a general rule, people usually set a speed after heating and running at a constant pace, but taking into account the possibilities of varying speed and inclination , the treadmill allows us to work with many modes : from the classic running to a constant rhythm Even exhausting sessions of interval training , treadmills are a great alternative (and nothing boring if we know how to get the hang of it) to perform our cardio workouts.

If we only want to vary the speed of the tape (without modifying the inclination), we can organize very useful and healthy high-intensity training sessions . If on the contrary, we want to modify only the inclination, we will transform our training into a continuous rise and “descent” (in quotes because we will not have a negative inclination, so the descent will correspond to the period in which we run with zero inclination) . And if we look for a total workout, we can combine changes in speed and incline, which will undoubtedly increase the calories we burn.

In addition, thanks to its versatility, they are an excellent alternative for winter periods and, by the way, avoid the typical excuse of “it is too cold to go out running”, since it is not necessary to go out on the street. In contrast, the main downside that we can find with this machine is the impact that our knees receive during the exercise, so it may not be the healthiest option .

The total calories that we can burn in a session on the treadmill can range between 400 and 500 calories, always depending on the intensity and type of exercise we perform. If you want to opt for this machine to burn those extra kilos, the recommendation that we make is that you do interválicos trainings varying speed and inclination (but do not pass with the inclination or you will have to lower the speed). A good idea is to alternate periods of high speed and very low inclination, with periods walking but with a good slope.

Elliptical bike

If we analyze the elliptical bicycle from the global point of view, perhaps we could say that it is one of the most complete, since it allows to work upper and lower train in the same machine and cardiovascular exercise. In addition, this cardiovascular machine presents a peculiarity that the rest will not have: the possibility of pedaling backward, as if we were practicing retrorunning .

Unlike treadmills, the impact of our knees is eliminated on the elliptical , so in this respect it adds one more point in your favor than the treadmills.

And if we talk about working modalities, it can be said that the lower the resistance, the faster the pedaling will be , so that the work will be more cardiovascular and, on the contrary, the higher this resistance , the work will be more of force than of cardiovascular resistance (which does not mean that we do not work cardiovascularly speaking).

Between 300 and 500 calories is the average that you can get to burn in a session of cardiovascular exercise on the elliptical bike. To do a varied and not very monotonous training, you can alternate periods of forward pedaling, with periods of pedaling backward or, if you want to add some more difficulty, pedal to one leg (for which you will need to help your arms to compensate for the instability). Likewise, you can try to alternate periods in which you do not hold on to your arms, eliminating the small help that they suppose for the arm movement with periods of “active rest” in which you help the arms for the pedaling.

Recumbent bicycle

Due to the somewhat forced posture , it is not the typical posture to ride a bike because in this machine we will be sitting as if it were a chair but with the difference that the pedals are not under us , but that They are in front of us. Because of this, it is perhaps the worst of the alternatives that we can choose from among all the machines that are in the gym, unless we have some injury or limitation (as was my case, for example, when I underwent shoulder surgery and this was the only one machine where I could do some exercise while I recovered).

The only parameter that we will be able to vary is the power or hardness of our pedalada, so we will have little room to vary our exercises and look for alternatives.

Rowing machine

The rowing machine is the perfect combination of cardiovascular work and strength for our upper body. Adjustable in terms of strength or hardness, the work of strength will be located mainly in our arms and back at the time we do an important cardiovascular work.

The main problem that this machine can present is the technique with which we must work the movement to avoid injuries, since many people have to bend or arch their back when they perform the rowing movement and this can lead to jerks and injuries.

Among the main errors that can be made using this machine, we must point out the following:

• Elbows : raising the elbows too much or placing them in a too rigid position can cause problems in the long run. Both the position (the elbows must be approximately the height of our stomach) and the movement must be fluid.
• Back : As we have mentioned, the posture of the back will be vital when it comes to avoiding injuries. Arching or bending your back and throwing it too far back during movement are the most frequent mistakes and most injuries tend to result.
• Coordination legs-arms : the lack of coordination between the movement of the legs and the arms when rowing will cause the movement is not fluid enough and therefore the position is not optimal, causing certain problems.

For the completeness of this exercise, it is possibly the machine in which more calories are going to burn, with an average of between 400 and 600 calories depending on the intensity of your training. If you like challenges, try alternating 30 seconds of oars with 10 seconds of rest for four or five minutes. And repeat as many times as you can for 20 minutes. Strenuous but fantastic training that in a short time will make your physique is what you want.

Stair climbing machine

Directed exclusively to our lower train, this machine simulates the movement that we would make while climbing stairs , being able to graduate it depending on the model. The first machines of this type that appeared were the “steps”, which were like elliptical bicycles but instead of a bicycle movement were two pedals that we were treading as if we were climbing a ladder , in which the only thing we could graduate was the hardness or power necessary to maintain the pace of footfall. The most modern, on the contrary, are made following the idea of ​​a treadmill but carried to a ladder, and the way to graduate the work is to adjust the speedAs if it were a treadmill, which allows us to work with different exercises such as climbing stairs in a normal way or striding .

As with the rowing machine, with the stair climbing machine, in any of the two versions we have talked about, we must pay attention to an important point to prevent injuries : sometimes, users tend to rely excessively on the shoulders, and this can cause serious injuries in said joint. The support on the sides should only be made in case of loss of balance to avoid falling.

Between 300 and 500 calories is the “average consumption” that you can achieve in this machine, depending on the speed and intensity that you put to your training. For a good session, and assuming that it is a machine of the most modern that carry the system as if it were a treadmill, try to start by making a minute of striding in the machine and increasing by one minute the speed to the maximum that you can. Reduce until you reach the strides again and increase it again. You will finish sweaty and in a short time you will lose those accumulated kilos.